Giants Out on K-Rod, Broxton: Report

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Relative to other teams, it's been a quiet trade deadline for the San Francisco Giants. It won't likely stay that way forever, mainly because they still want to pick up relief pitchers and a bat or two.

Two names you can cross off, though, are Jonathan Broxton and Francisco Rodriguez.

The Giants were previously interested in acquiring some high-end bullpen help and Broxton, the Royals closer, and Rodriguez, the newly-installed Brewers closer, were thought to be targets. (Or, at the very least, they made sense as targets.)

If you're a sensible Giants fan, this is good news. Because both Broxton and K-Rod are closers (at the moment), their respective price tags are going to be more expensive than someone who's simply a setup man, or a quality reliever.

The Giants want additional closer help -- though Santiago Casilla might not necessarily be deposed immediately because of a trade -- and Knobler reports they're "still looking for bullpen help," but it doesn't make a ton of sense for Brian Sabean to sell the farm for a guy who's just not as good as his stats might indicate.

That guy is Broxton: his K/9 rate is disturbingly low, his strand rate is too high and his home-run-to-flyball percentage is really suppressed. All of those are things that indicate he's been getting lucky. The Giants don't need to overpay for a former Dodger who's a threat to implode.

Speaking of implosions, that's basically K-Rod in a nutshell. The fact that the Giants scouted him pitching (or maybe just watched him on TV, or even possibly just read Twitter whilehe was pitching) and came away immediately thinking "Oh hell no!" should tell you all you need to know about him.

So sit back, relax, and get excited for a new reliever without a lot of name value. It's certainly better news than some high-profile, lower-quality closer.